Few travel and tourism businesses are taking advantage of the business branding, growth, and lead-generation capabilities of social media. Sure, some hotels, resorts, agencies, and tour operators dabble with social media. They start a Facebook account, sign up for Pinterest, perhaps send a few Tweets, and think about learning more about Google+ and then kind of forget about it. But venturing into social media is not the same as working at it. As with all…

Content marketing, in particular travel or tourism blogging, is a fantastic strategy for growing your brand, attracting new clients and building loyalty and interest among existing clients. When done well, an insightful blog can raise the profile of your online branding and improve your rankings on Google organically. What does this mean for your travel business? Increased website traffic, qualified leads, sales, and bookings. Here are our 11 top tips to help increase your online…

Having a strong social media strategy can greatly improve your business when done well. But how do you create the most effective social media strategy for your tourism or travel business? The SocialMedia Examiner website has this excellent article overviewing exactly how to set up a social media business strategy. In it, the expert guides to the social media jungle outline seven steps to creating successful social media marketing and a comprehensive internet marketing plan….

When you sit down with your travel or tourism business’ marketing team to review your annual online marketing strategy, do you wonder what and where others in your industry are spending? Two recent articles posted on eMarketer.com (Travel Dives Deep into Digital Advertising, Oct. 2012 and Mobile Ad Spending Still Lags in Canada, May 2013) provide some facts and figures you just might want to review with your team. These articles (and the reports they…

Getting started on social media platforms like Facebook can seem like a serious undertaking for many business owners — especially those in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries who are busy every day helping guests make magical memories! After all, effective Facebook marketing takes planning, patience, creativity, commitment, and resources. However, the question is no longer “Should we be on Facebook?” (because you must be on Facebook!) but, rather, “How can we use Facebook to…

When trying to choose the perfect travel destination, where do potential customers turn? With the evolution of online search technology and the growing popularity of consumer reviews, your potential clients are turning, first, to search engines and travel websites when it comes time to plan their next vacation. That’s why it’s so important that your travel and tourism business is well-represented online. The internet provides customers with the ability to find information about potential travel locations,…

Successful marketing through Twitter depends on engaging your audience, and the results of a recently commissioned study will help you promote your travel tourism or hospitality business effectively. In The Top 25 Most Engaged Brands on Twitter Today, nestivity blogger Henry Min notes that while countless different Twitter strategies abound, the one thing they all have in common is seeking engagement with customers through building community. Min, who is a creative director and social business…

With more than 100 million reviews on TripAdvisor.com, the website offers tremendous potential for marketing opportunities and travellers alike. In an effort to increase their competitive edge against rivals such as Yelp and Foursquare, TripAdvisor announced this month that it has released Review Express, an innovative online service. Review Express is meant to help TripAdvisor grow its roster of reviews by making it easy for venues to request them from customers. The unique advantage? Review…

In an effort to create a better experience for global businesses and their online communities, Facebook introduced Global Pages for Brands last year. Global Pages allows brands to have one global brand identity through a streamlined solution and a central hub. Previous to last year, brands with a single Facebook page could geotarget updates (posts) by languages and country, but they were limited to a single look and feel to the page. Features (cover photo,…

Sustainable tourism is growing in popularity, with internet savvy travelers opting to take experiential trips that boost local economies and respect the environment rather than exploit them. This exciting shift in global travel is largely attributed to consumers who are better informed and genuinely want their travel dollars to help protect the environment and culture of the areas they visit. This new generation of almost philanthropic traveler wants to enjoy a holiday that preserves important…